Scott Mathis

Wine & Wine Shops

2010-03-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

Have a look at our new Malbec label. Nice!

Algodon wines sold well in Buenos Aires in 2009, and we think 2010 will be even better. Many of the city’s high-end wine shops, who just recently began carrying our wines, have already made second or third orders of our wine for their inventory. Algodon Wine Estates 2009 & 2010 harvests were impressive to say the least, and with our wine panel’s expertise, I believe we are going to see some incredible results.

Algodon Wine Estates Extra Virgin Olive Oil is now available in one of these wine shops, and we’re working hard to get them on the shelves of the rest of them very soon, as well.

-Scott L. Mathis

Algodon Mansion Façade: Before & After

2010-02-25T08:34:00.001-08:00

Wow, we have come a long way! These are a few photo comparisons of Algodon Mansion, and the “before” shots are what the mansion looked like before we began any of our construction. Other than having said that, I think the photos speak for themselves!

We’re having a professional photographer come in for some more shots soon, so I’m really looking forward to showing you the “before & afters” of the interiors- suites, Chez Nous, etc. You won’t want to miss it.
-Scott Mathis

Algodon Wine Estates Tennis Update!

2010-02-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

We recently picked up this bit of nostalgic memorabilia form Jose Luis Clerc’s championship days as one of the world’s top tennis players. This racket was a line of Pro Kennex “Pro Ace” tennis rackets that was endorsed by Jose Luis back in the day, and I think it will look great on display in Algodon Wine Estates’ tennis clubhouse.

As you can see from the other photos, our tennis courts are coming along nicely. Some more of the nets have gone up…

This next one is a photo of me with Clerc, the legend himself, who is pointing at me because he just beat me 6-1-6-0 in tennis earlier in the day!

We’re getting closer to our Championship Tennis Center vision! One step at a time!

-Scott L. Mathis

Algodon Food, Algodon Wine Update

2010-02-12T11:11:00.001-08:00

I am very excited to tell you about Chez Nous’ Algodon Black Label Burger. It’s dynamite! Truly. In fact, it’s worth the trip down to Buenos Aires for this meal alone. The burger is made using only the highest quality of Certified Black Angus Tenderloin and braised lamb, and includes a very special whisky sauce that is extraordinary. You have to taste it for yourself. Algodon Mansion’s Executive Chef Antonio Soriano has done a terrific job with this (as he has with the rest of the menu), and our Black Label Burger is very appropriately named.

At Algodon Wine Estates, Senior Wine Advisor Marcelo Pelleriti has submitted his latest report on our vines since his last recent visit. Among other things, Marcelo said that the recent work done on the vineyard is really starting to show and that the vines are looking great. They’ll soon begin the maturity analysis for our white varieties; Semillon, Chenin and Chardonnay. Our team is also beginning the micro vinification preparation for our 2010 Chardonnay. Very exciting.

- Scott Mathis

Marcelo Pelleriti

2010-02-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

While in the office the other day, we were discussing the significance of the awards won by the newest addition to Algodon Wine Estates’ wine panel, Senior Advisor Marcelo Pelleriti. His wines have received several ratings in the 90s (some as high as 98) from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate. For those of you who don’t know, Robert Parker is arguably the most influential wine critic in the world. His newsletter, The Wine Advocate, is a bimonthly publication whose published ratings dramatically affect prices and demand for the wines it reviews. In fact, according to this website:

“Robert Parker's influence on fine wine prices cannot be overstated. As one observer once noted, ‘When Robert Parker spits, the world listens’. Historically the wines that Robert Parker gives high scores to, particularly scores over 90 points, tend to be the wines that show the biggest increase in value. Many Bordeaux producers now wait for Parker's ratings before setting the release price of their wines.”

In addition to working with us, Marcelo also serves as Enologist to Bodega y Viñedos Monteviejo and he produces several wines related in some way to the celebrated Clos de Los Siete (including Clos de Siete) in Mendoza. I mention this of course, because in addition to the wines in France that he received high marks in the 90s for, several of his Mendoza wines received comparable marks in the 90s as well.

Marcelo has mentioned that he feels our Bonarda in particular can someday amount to being rated “among the best in the world”. Yes, in the world. Given the often praised soil quality of Cuadro Benegas (where we are located), and Marcelo’s remarkable resume, I don’t hesitate to think that he may very well be the one to get us there.

-Scott Mathis

Algodon Wine and Olive Oil

2010-01-25T09:03:00.000-08:00

A list of retail locations detailing where you can purchase Algodon Wine is now available on our Algodon Wine website, and I will post it here as well.

We are also now officially selling our award-winning Algodon Extra Virgin Olive Oil at Algodon Wine Estates. Here is a photo of the new bottles.

They look great!

Our wine importer also just sold another 100 cases (that’s about 1,000 bottles) of Algodon Wine to a distributor in Texas! Congratulations, Jomada!

-Scott L. Mathis

Introducing Algodon Mansion!

2010-01-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

2010 is going to be an exciting and busy year for Algodon! It hasn’t been easy to get where we are, but we’ve accomplished a lot. Algodon Mansion is booked for it “soft opening”- which is today! We will be at full capacity hosting our first 18 guests, and we couldn’t be more excited. This is what we’ve all been working so hard for, for so long.

Considering all the positive press we received in 2009, I hope to see Algodon in the media even more so in 2010 to continue the trend. Speaking of which; Algodon Mansion is currently featured in Financial Times' "How to Spend It" online magazine! And we’re also now listed on the website for Travel + Leisure Magazine. The photo on the right is from our appearance in Brazil’s American Express Platinum Card Magazine.

-Scott Mathis

Algodon Wine Estates is becoming more of a celebrity every day!

2010-01-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

CUISINE & VINS magazine has named Algodon Wine Estates as the Best Real Estate Development in Argentina! This will appear in an upcoming issue of their magazine that will hit Argentine newsstands soon. Algodon Wine Estates will also be mentioned in an upcoming issue of Vogue Latin America & Mexico! A British television show called "A Place in the Sun" was recently filming at Algodon Wine Estates. The program focuses on buying real estate abroad. We will be featured on their show, and also on their website (www.aplaceinthesun.com).

Our award-winning restaurant at Algodon Wine Estates has now been branded "Chez Gastón", after its talented Executive Chef, Gastón Langlois. The restaurant continues to be busy, and that no doubt is the result of Gastón’s talents.

-Scott L. Mathis

Algodon Wine is on the right track!

2010-01-04T12:16:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year once again, everyone. I hope your celebrations were enjoyable.

After a recent private tasting, our wine advisor and Master of Wine Anthony Foster shared with us his personal thoughts on our latest 2008 and 2009 vintages. He says we have some real potential with this year’s vintages, and that some of our wines are “real stars”. He even recommends submitting two or three of them to international wine competitions in the future, as he feels confident that they will garner accolades.

Here is a preview of our 2008 label designs. They look great!

We are also all very happy with the hiring of our new wine advisor, Marcelo Pelleriti. Marcelo recently earned 98 point ratings for wines with which he was associated with (Chateau La Violette and Chateau Le Gay) from Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate. Marcelo will join our wine panel in the planning and execution of the betterment of our vineyards, harvest and winemaking.

We are on the right track!

-Scott Mathis

Happy Holidays and New Year’s Celebrations to one and all!

2009-12-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

2009 was truly a great year, and we have much to look forward to in 2010. With Algodon Mansion’s opening in just a few short weeks, our new employees are trained and ready to go, and I can barely describe everyone’s enthusiasm. We are the talk of Buenos Aires. I’m happy to say that we were able to hire top talent merely on the idea that our extraordinary and unique luxury hotel was about to open.

The mansion is stunning. I am personally astonished by its ultra high-quality, luxury décor and overall feel. Although that was our intended vision from the very beginning; it’s still overwhelming to see that it has actually become a reality. It has been a long journey but everything is finally coming together. Thank you investment partners, thank you staff, thank you designers and architects! You have all worked very hard to make this moment possible.

Our 3 night “Proposal Package’ appears on the Global Traveler website, and we have a short but sweet mention on the Pan American Tours & Travel blog.

See you in Buenos Aires!

- Scott Mathis

New photos and wine package…

2009-12-22T12:41:00.000-08:00

I’d like to share some new photos of our hotel lodge at Algodon Wine Estates, which were taken just last week. These are a few of my favorites:

The weather is pretty incredible in Argentina right now, and this is the hotel’s high season. If you’re planning a trip to our San Rafael estate, you may be interested in our latest cooking class and tasting seminar:

Algodon Wine Estates Traditional Argentine Cooking Seminar & Wine Tasting

Learn the secrets of traditional Argentine gourmet cuisine from the Chef of our award-winning restaurant in San Rafael, Mendoza. Algodon Wine Estates provides the ideal setting, as you experience firsthand the cooking techniques associated with the most delicious regional fare from the wine roads of Argentina. On the “patio criollo,” our outdoor asado, clay oven and grill will serve as your canvas as you learn the art of preparation to the greatest Argentine epicurean delights. Guided by our gifted culinary artists, this hands-on cooking seminar includes a 2-course meal that is prepared by you, using only the finest local ingredients from our own plantation and those of our neighbors. The wines of our vineyards and winery are an essential addition to each meal at our estate, and our knowledgeable sommelier will pair your unique meal with the most memorable Algodon Wine.

If this sounds like it’s up your alley, click here to get more information.

-Scott L. Mathis

Algodon expands its online horizons

2009-12-15T09:51:00.000-08:00

Algodon Wine Estates and Bombal & Aldao are mentioned in Lugares, an Argentine travel magazine. Pick up a copy if you’re down there.

A friend forwarded this link to me: a Google book search of Algodon Wine Estates reveals that on page 81 of George M. Taber’s book In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism, Algodon Wine Estates and InvestProperty Group are both mentioned.

In keeping up with the times, our Algodon Properties now each have their own Facebook pages. We’ve included some great pictures, so be sure to check out the photo galleries. If you happen to be on Facebook yourself, by all means “become a fan” of the properties.

Click here for Algodon Wine Estates on Facebook.

Click here for Algodon Wines on Facebook.

Click here for Algodon Mansion on Facebook.

We’ll be keeping these pages as updated as possible with the latest photos, events, and accolades, so visit them often.

-Scott Mathis

Algodon all over the Internet

2009-12-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

Hot off the presses! Algodon Wine Estates appears in Time Out Magazine Buenos Aires! Time Out magazine is one of my favorite travel guides, as it always seems to provide the hippest and most up-to-date hotspots. You can see our write-up here.

Algodon Mansion is also mentioned in Incentive online magazine; “Ideal for high-end executive retreats or as a treat for a top performer, Algodon Mansion opens next month in Buenos Aires, Argentina, joining other top luxury properties (including Alvear Palace and the Park Hyatt’s Palacio Duhau) in the city’s Recoleta neighborhood.”

Incentive has also written up a piece on Algodon Wine Estates Wine Barrel Ownership Program, which you can read about here. By the way, a personalized barrel form our wine barrel program makes a great holiday, gift so check our website for our special holiday promotion.

I ran across this article in The National Newspaper online, where José Luis Clerc appears. Although it’s about a game upset, it’s still nice that he’s mentioned!

If you haven’t visited our DPEC Partners YouTube channel, do so! Here you’ll find some great video updates of our Algodon Properties!

Have a great week!

-Scott Mathis

Argentina News and Truffles

2009-11-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

I’d hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving! This week I’d just like to share a few news articles with you that I feel are relevant to our projects in Argentina. The first is a Reuters article that predicts a growth in Argentinean tax revenues as a direct result of a forthcoming increase in tourism, which you can read about here: Link (On a similar topic, Reuters also reports that AMEX is expecting credit card spending to increases at least 10% next year as consumer activity rebounds.) You may remember our announcement not too long ago about the possibility of Algodon Wine Estates cultivating truffles. In addition to our unique vineyard or orchard estate homesites available for private development, we would also plant truffles on estate homesites that are suitable for their cultivation. So, I’m pleased to share this recent media mention of our vineyard estate in Luxury Travel Magazine. The article is headlined: “Indulge in Rare Truffles at the World's Most Exclusive Hotels”, and interestingly enough, Algodon Wine Estates is the only hotel mentioned that will cultivate and harvest truffles for use on its own properties; just one more extraordinary element that sets us apart from the rest. Incidentally, CNN has terrific piece on a North Carolina entrepreneur who is the first person to harvest and sell French black truffles on American soil. It can be a lucrative undertaking if done right. Here’s one more great reason to learn Spanish: The "TED Conference" goes to Buenos Aires in April. Catch it if you can. --Scott Mathis

The Gold Medals Continue!

2009-11-21T04:02:00.000-08:00

If you’ve been following my blog, then you know that just two weeks ago Algodon Wine Estates was presented the Global Award in Accommodation from Great Wine Capitals’ 2010 “BEST OF WINE TOURISM” competition. This award of course follows our trophies on the national level in Argentina from the same competition: the 2010 Gold Medal for Accommodation and the 2010 Silver Medal for Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences (for the 3rd year in a row). In addition to the remarkable abundance of unsolicited positive press, reviews and write-ups- the awards and Gold Medals have literally been stacking up. It was announced last week that our outstanding wines have won four more awards! At the 9th edition of VINANDINO, an international competition of wines and spirits, Algodon Wine Estates 2006 Bonarda won a Gold Medal, and our 2006 Malbec won a Silver Medal. This year’s competition included a total of 836 entrants from Germany, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, France, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Spain, Romania, Switzerland, Portugal and, of course, Argentina. The jury consisted of 35 international and 60 national experts. In an unrelated competition called CODEVIN, a San Rafael wine tasting event organized by local winemakers, Algodon Wine Estates 2009 Bonarda and 2008 Malbec, were rated to be among the top 15 wines in region, out of a total of 120 entrants. Congratulations to our winemaker Mauro Nosenzo and our Ambassador of Wine Camilo Aldao, as well as to all of our partners for the hard work they put in! Let’s all raise a glass of Algodon Wine Estates’ Gold Medal winning Bonarda, and toast to Algodon’s continued successes (and even more Gold Medals) in 2010 and beyond! --Scott Mathis

2009-11-13T08:33:00.000-08:00

More Algodon in the media!

Algodon Mansion’s Rent the Mansion package is currently being promoted at Affluent Page Luxury Index. “Why share a hotel when you can have the whole thing?” they ask. From their website: Affluent Page Luxury Index is a luxury consumer magazine devoted to marketing luxury brands and upscale services. Published bi-monthly, the magazine is nationally distributed to readers, with a net worth of $10 Million and up.

Algodon Mansion also appears in the October issue of Argentina’s American Express Platinum Card Magazine, which goes out to over 22,000 platinum cardholders.

DPEC Partners also gets a nice independent write-up on investing in Argentina at Nuwireinvestor.com (I’m also interviewed in the article.)

We received more great news for Algodon Wines; our Sales & Marketing Coordinator at Algodon Wine Estates has done an excellent job getting our wines in some very important wine stores in Buenos Aires and beyond. Our label will now be available in “Wine Gallery” wine shop, located at 1780 Montevideo, in Recoleta. That’s just one block from Algodon Mansion. Algodon Wine can also be found at a “Wine Gallery” wine shop at 1811 Av. Cramer, in BA’s Belgrano neighborhood.

In the press last week; Food and Wine magazine announced their list of the best restaurants in Buenos Aires. Let’s get Algodon Mansion’s Chez Nous on this list next year! In sports news; with Del Potro’s Open win a few months back, the Los Angeles Times dubs Argentina the “Cradle of Tennis Stardom”! We always seem to be in the right place at the right time nowadays! Perhaps Algodon Wine Estates' Tennis Center will be the birthplace of talent for future Grand Slam Winners under the guidance and tutelage of, say for example, José Luis Clerc. Very exciting!

--Scott Mathis

2009 is a gold medal year for Algodon Wine Estates!

2009-11-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

It’s a great day! As many of you know, after achieving Great Wine Capitals' prestigious 2010 Gold Medal (National Award) for Best Accommodation in early October of this year, our San Rafael wine estate qualified us to advance to the international award competition, which includes participants from eight major global cities in both the northern and southern hemispheres. These cities represent the "Old" and "New" worlds of wine, which (in addition to Mendoza) include Cape Town (South Africa), Florence (Italy), Mainz (Germany), Porto (Portugal), Bilbao-Rioja (Spain), San Francisco-Napa Valley (US), and Bordeaux (France), where this year's ceremony was held. On November 5, 2010 (last night), the international jury awarded the 2010 Global Winners at a distinguished gala dinner held at Château Giscours, Grand Cru Classé de Margaux in Bordeaux.

We are beside ourselves with excitement to relay that at last night’s ceremony ALGODON WINE ESTATES WAS ANNOUNCED THE 2010 GLOBAL WINNER in the Accommodation category for Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism award competition! This of course comes in addition to our (national level) Gold Medal in Accommodation and the (national level) Silver Medal for Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences, which we received for the 3rd year in a row!

Last year’s Global Winner in Accommodation was Château de Carbonneau in Bordeaux, France. For last year’s competition, 384 wineries and wine tourism businesses from the networked cities and their wine regions entered the “Best Of” awards contest. Annual winners retain the right to post plaques on their properties denoting the accolade, and their establishments appear in the following year's Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism brochure; a 30-page booklet with listed summaries of winners and a description of their property with 20,000 copies distributed worldwide.

A BIG congratulations to our wonderful and very hardworking staff, without whom all we have is grapes and buildings! This is a tremendous accomplishment for our Algodon properties! Thank you to all who have made this possible, without your confidence and investment we could not have achieved this truly great honor. Have a great day!

Thanks, Scott Mathis

Tennis Anyone?

2009-10-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

Lots of media news: Algodon Wine Estates’ “Migration Package” is featured in the November issue of Travel+Leisure Magazine! Their circulation is 957,987! Incredible! We’re also featured here on EliteTraveler.com! Elite Traveler has 649,000 readers per issue in over 100 countries, with an average household income of $5.3 million. Now that is “elite”! Lastly, Forbes Woman Magazine is promoting this special package for us in their publication. Their ad directs readers to our website for a 20% discount and will appear in the December issue of their magazine.

Construction on the mansion is furiously wrapping up to meet our Grand Opening goal date. Algodon Mansion’s General Manager, Pablo Veloso, tells me that the staffing recruitment for the hotel continues and that in just a few weeks the entire staff will be hired and trained. There will be an intensive and thorough 2-week training course for these new employees before any of our guests arrive.

Here’s a recent photo of the tennis center’s progress at Algodon Wine Estates. The photo shows our hardworking maintenance staff as they tend to the huge expanse of the clay courts. The clay court area is so large that our photographer couldn’t fit it all into the frame. It looks fantastic!

As I’m sure many of you have been reading, Argentina is currently in legislation to settle $20 billion of its outstanding bond disputes. This is great news for their economy in my opinion; a successful renegotiation with holders of defaulted debt should create access to international capital markets for the first time since 2001, and will open the door to foreign investment.

Look out- even Wal-Mart is getting into the action of Argentine investments!

Here is an excellent Washing Post article about Nicolás Catena, an Argentine visionary who saw Argentina's potential to produce fine wine. The article dubs him “Argentina’s Ambassador of Wine.” Catena’s is credited as the “founding father of modern Argentine wine”, and as being responsible for having launched Argentina’s wine boom. His significant role in the wine world is further evidenced by Decanter wine magazine’s honoring him as Man of the Year for 2009.

Here’s some very interesting olive oil news; evidently it has just been determined that it may play a factor in preventing Alzheimer’s. Algodon’s gold-medal-winning Extra Virgin Olive Oil isn’t just delicious; it’s also good for you!

One final thought; did you know that the average Argentine eats approximately 163 lbs. of beef every year? That comes out to approximately two McDonald’s Quarter Pounders every day, all year long.

--Scott Mathis

Chez Nous Sampling

2009-10-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Last week when I was visiting Buenos Aires on business, I had the pleasure of meeting once again with our new Executive Chef, Antonio Soriano, in order to discuss and sample a selection of menu items for Chez Nous. The purpose of this preview sampling was to familiarize Algodon Mansion’s principle and executive staff with the menu and its ingredients, by experiencing it firsthand. These are the people who will need to be well acquainted with the tastes, aromas, ingredients and the stories behind the recipes and foods that inhabit Chez Nous’ menu. This was also an opportunity for us to ask any questions, and provide any input we might have in relation to the menu. The sampling was comprised of nearly everything that the dinner menu will feature. We shared an open forum to confer our tasting experiences, and discussed the pairing of certain Algodon Wines with certain menu items, since Algodon Wine will be highly emphasized on Chez Nous’ wine list. One of my favorite items on the menu was a mushroom truffle mouse. Antonio, along with Gonzalo Bazterrica (Chef de Cuisine) and Damian Betular (Pastry Chef) were careful to explain to us each dish’s preparation. As virtually all of our ingredients are regional, these proficient chefs were also very informing about where each of the ingredients came from. For example, the oysters and the sea bass are from Patagonia, the garlic is from Mendoza, and the beef (of course) is 100% grass-fed Argentine beef. I must say that the three chefs appear to have a real affinity for working together, and their seemingly seamless preparation would indicate to someone who didn’t know better, that these three share camaraderie from having worked together for years. Their skills are exceptional. Damian was even able to weave some of his pastry expertise into the main menu with a certain shrimp appetizer wrapped in phyllo dough. It was extraordinary. I wish I knew more about the restaurant industry, but I am certain that our investors and customers will enjoy Chez Nous, and I hope this will be a profitable venture. We’ve decided on this logo for the restaurant: This design may, for example, appear in on the menu cover, in certain advertising, and on incidentals such as matchbooks or restaurant stationary. --Scott Mathis

1st Wine Barrel Program Shipment!

2009-10-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

This week I’d like to share some photos related to our personalized wine barrel program. The following pictures are from our partnered winery, Bombal & Aldao, where much of our wine is barreled. The personalize vintages of our first wine barrel program (from our 2007-2008 harvest) have officially been sent to barrel owners, who will be receiving their bottles soon. The above photo is of several barrels assigned to, and labeled with the name of, individual barrel owners. Each barrel contains the custom blend or varietal of each individual’s choosing. The next photo gives you an idea of what our cellar looks like. The following photo shows the custom hand-labeling of our barrel program’s bottles. Each label is customized to the specifications of the barrel owner, including their name, design, and any description or text they might want to appear. As a barrel owner myself, I’m personally looking forward to receiving my “Mathis Estates” bottles any day now! Our bi monthly newsletter is due out soon, and it’s packed full of Algodon Property updates. You’ll be very pleased with Gerhard Heusch’s new rendering of the Grand Center Court for Algodon Wine Estates’ tennis center. The one time dream of hosting Mendoza’s top tennis tournament, The Algodon Malbec Classic, is slowly turning into a reality. Look for our latest online issue of The Algodon next week! --Scott Mathis

First Look at the Hard Court and the Rest…

2009-10-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

I love this photo…this will truly be a top notch facility. In addition to this hard court, we also have the 8 clay courts and 3 grass courts. The following photo shows how far our clay courts have come in just a few weeks. As you can see, the lights are in, and the chalk lines have been drawn. Amazing.

I haven’t shared the grass court photos yet, as they have been under construction. The only thing the grass courts are waiting on now is the seeding. The bulk of the construction for these grass courts has been the drainage system- a very essential element, obviously. Here’s a photo of where the grass courts stand now.

Here’s a link to WineSur.com’s announcement of the “Best in Wine Tourism Awards”, of which Algodon Wine Estates won the Gold Medal for AWE’s lodging and a Silver Medal for wine tourism related experiences. We look forward to the final round of competition in Bordeaux next month, which we have qualified for. Cross your fingers, our team has been working very hard! And finally, it appears that golf will be returning to the Olympics at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. Exciting news for golf enthusiasts! (-Which includes everyone at Algodon Wine Estates!) -- Scott Mathis

This Week’s Roundup of News and Events…

2009-10-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

Press, media, and more press! Here is a terrific piece on Algodon Mansion and Algodon Wine Estates from MartiniLife; a daily email newsletter that shares “the best kept secrets in gear, gadgets, fashion, entertainment, food and dining, travel, and a few things that you just can't live without.” Glad to know we’re somewhere on that list! Algodon Wine Estates was also featured in last weekend’s La Nación, one of Argentina’s leading newspapers! Apparently, Clarín is its main competitor. Here is a rough Google translation of the article: Al pie de la Montaña y Viñedos con (At the foot of the mountains and vineyards). We’ve received some new photos this week that I’d like to share. The first is of our new Algodon Wine Estates signage, which we’ve hung on the winery’s exterior. It really looks great. I feel it lends a personalized touch to the structure, which has in many ways become the iconic symbol of the property.

The next photo is of the glass roof for Chez Nous’ outside dining patio. Very nice! I’m looking forward to the evening when guests of the restaurant can dine on its patio and be able to look up and see the stars and Buenos Aires sky. When I was in Paris on business last weekend, I was invited to an interesting, analogous property to Algodon Mansion, called Pershing Hall. It’s similar to our Buenos Aires hotel in many ways and apparently, it’s a very successful operation. At 350 sq ft, some of their suites are significantly smaller than ours; however they’re getting 500 Euros a night for those. Their top suite is 700 sq ft and it goes for about 1,000 Euros. Their restaurant is one of the most popular in Paris. Here’s an article from the Washington Business Journal (via the Pittsburgh Business Times) headlined Argentina’s travel industry provides business and leisure. The article talks about what a hotspot Argentina is right now, and its growing appeal to Americans. That’s no news to us! Lastly, in economic news, Argentine will reportedly pay off its Paris Club debt over the next five years. --Scott Mathis

Algodon in the Media, del Potro, and More…

2009-09-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

Algodon Mansion gets a nice mention in this month’s Delta Sky Magazine! The write-up acknowledges our restaurant, menu, and accompanying estate-grown Malbec. Although, the restaurant details are a bit outdated…we’re happy to have made an appearance. Delta Sky Magazine reaches 5 million readers each month! Algodon Wine Estates is also featured in Area 3 Magazine, a widely distributed publication in Mendoza. The article, which discusses our newly established international wine panel, is unfortunately not online yet- but I’ll be sure to share it with you once it’s up. In the meantime, here’s a scanned photo from the magazine’s hardcopy.

Score another one for the Argentines! Juan Martin del Potro’s U.S. Open win was a surprise to us all, but I’m not complaining! Argentina is everywhere is sports news these days, and that only means good things for Algodon Wine Estates & Champions’ Club! Our new tennis courts and newly expanded 18-hole golf course are literally weeks away from being ready to play. I wonder how del Potro feels about San Rafael, perhaps we’ll see him at Argentina’s first Algodon Malbec Classic!…In other sports news, Argentina’s Rugby team, Los Pumas, have been invited to join the Southern Hemisphere’s Tri Nations. If everything goes according to the plan, Tri Nations will become “Four Nations” in 2012. While we haven’t any immediate plans to construct a Rugby field at Algodon Wine Estates, you never know what the future holds…2016 perhaps?

Our Executive VP & CFO is in Buenos Aires this week and sent the following email to us soon after his arrival: “I only had a couple of minutes today to see the Mansion, but WOW – it’s a MANSION - it just looks fantastic. A person working on every corner, and the progress is enormous. The stairs are in and some of the rooms are basically finished (without furniture). The kitchen crew is working in the kitchen and the light-well is truly the “show-off” center piece. No doubt we still have a lot of work ahead, but things look great. The master suite bathrooms are enormous and the quality is 100%.” He also sent us some new photo updates from Algodon Wine Estates, including this one of the tennis courts, which by the way are looking tremendous. Thanks for the update, Tim!

-- Scott Mathis

Argentine Interview, AM Update, More Media, and Wine News…

2009-09-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a memorable Memorial Day weekend! For those Spanish speakers (or Google Translate aficionados) check out our interview with Los Andes online published this week (the interview can also be found at AreadelVino.com). Los Andes newspaper is a huge publication, analogous to the New York Times of Mendoza. In the interview we discuss among other things our Algodon Wine, a bit of our history, and the fact that we’ve already invested approximately $25 million in our Argentine properties. The interviewer also touches on the world-wide economic downturn and its effect on real estate developments. I have always been very clear about my optimism regarding the future of Argentine real estate, and that I believe in the importance of diversifying personal investments outside of the U.S. economy and the U.S. dollar. In one of my favorite exchanges, the interviewer asks to what extent our Argentine developments have been affected by the economic crisis:

Question: Did you have to lay off any staff due to the (economic) crisis? Answer: Actually we hired nine people in Buenos Aires for the mansion; a luxury hotel with a restaurant, bar, and wine cave- and two others for the hotel in Mendoza.

Gerhard Heusch emailed me this morning and once again confirmed that the scheduled Algodon Mansion opening date is still intact. They’re working very hard down there, and the work is going fast!

Algodon Wine Estates gets a tremendous write-up from Jim Bryant for Chicago’s (metro area) “Quintessential Barrington” lifestyle magazine. Mr. Bryant’s glowing descriptions of our estate, our wine, our amenities, and San Rafael- go beyond terrific. He also very favorably mentions our partners at Bombal & Aldao and Finca los Alamos.

In other wine news, The LA Times published an interesting article titled Findings of wine contest study hard for critics to swallow. From the article; “…consumers should not always assume that gold medal winners are outstanding wines…retired Cal State Humboldt professor Robert Hodgson said he looked at the results for more than 4,000 wines entered in 13 U.S. competitions in 2003 and found little consistency in what wines won gold medals.” Our Master of Wine, Antony Foster, followed up on this in an email to me. For the most part, he indicated that he’s in agreement with the article, and that he thinks it would be in our best interest to enter our wines in reputable competitions run under international rules. Good advice.

--Scott Mathis

Algodon Wine Sales, Our Neighbors, and a Gold Medal!

2009-09-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

Our Chicago area wines sales are looking good. This week I spoke to our Midwest distributer, Jomada Imports, and was told that we’re selling on average 150 cases (12 pack) of Algodon wines on a monthly basis…that’s 1,800 bottles a month. That’s a nice start considering that Algodon Wines are new to the US market and its consumers. Keep up the good work Jomada!

Our neighbor next door to the Algodon Mansion recently finished some exterior construction. It looks good and is a big improvement on what was there previously.

Big olive oil news! Diego Coll Benegas, Algodon Wine Estates’ Director of Project Development, Tourism & Hospitality, just emailed me to say that Algodon Olive Oil won the gold medal in a national competition hosted in Buenos Aires this week. Our gold medal was for the “blended” category. That’s exciting news. I’ve had the olive oil myself, and I have to say that a gold medal comes as no surprise to me. I guess we’ll have to reprint our olive oil’s bottle labels to include: “Argentine judges agree: Algodon Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the best!” We will be serving Algodon Olive Oil at Algodon Mansion.

--Scott Mathis